What is a Black Hole?
According to the general theory of relativity, a black hole is a region of space from which nothing, including light, can escape. It is the result of the denting of spacetime caused by a very compact mass. Around a black hole there is an undetectable surface which marks the point of no return, called an event horizon. It is called "black" because it absorbs all the light that hits it, reflecting nothing, just like a perfect black body in thermodynamics. Under the theory of quantum mechanics black holes possess a temperature and emit Hawking radiation through slow dissipation by anti-protons. Astronomers have identified numerous stellar black hole candidates, and have also found evidence of supermassive black holes at the center of every galaxy. After observing the motion of nearby stars for 16 years, in 2008 astronomers found compelling evidence that a supermassive black hole of more than 4 million solar masses is located near the Sagittarius A* region in the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
"a
short video about black holes and worm holes taken from
a show called the universe. |
What is a Wormhole?
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. A wormhole is, in theory, much like a tunnel with two ends each in separate points in spacetime. In 1935, Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen in 1935 first dreamed up the idea of a wormhole. They realized that general relativity allows the existence of “bridges,” originally called Einstein-Rosen bridges but now known as wormholes. These space-time tubes act as shortcuts connecting distant regions of space-time.
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Watch
"Through the Wormhole" hosted by Morgan Freeman on Wednesdays
at 10pm only on Science Channel. http://www.sciencechannel.com |
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In
physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature
of spacetime that is fundamentally a 'shortcut' through
space and time. Spacetime can be viewed as a 2D surface
(to simplify understanding) that, when 'folded' over, allows
the formation of a wormhole bridge. |
Wormholes
- (Worm Holes Explained) |
What are White Holes?
A white hole, in general relativity, is a hypothetical region of spacetime which cannot be entered from the outside, but from which matter and light may escape. In this sense it is the reverse of a black hole, which can be entered from the outside, but from which nothing, including light, may escape. (However, it is theoretically possible for a traveler to enter a rotating black hole, avoid the singularity, and travel into a rotating white hole which allows the traveler to escape into another universe.
Lurking in the depths of the mathematics of Einstein’s general relativity is an object even stranger than the mysterious black hole. In fact it’s the black hole’s mirror twin, the white hole. Some even think that these could be the origin of our universe.